noun
- The fused head and thorax of arachnids (spiders, scorpions, ticks) and some crustaceans, forming a single body region.
Usage: zoology; technical
Examples
- The spider's cephalothorax is where its legs and fangs attach.
- A scorpion's cephalothorax contains its eyes and mouthparts.
- In crustaceans like horseshoe crabs, the cephalothorax is the anterior body section.
- The cephalothorax of a tick is much smaller than its abdomen.
- Biologists examined the cephalothorax under a microscope to identify the species.